UMaine Orono Scienticians Are Powerful With The Book-Learnin’ About Chemistering, Jeezum Crow, I Tell You What

ORONO, Maine — About 150 people inside Hitchner Hall at the University of Maine were evacuated late Thursday morning after a chemical reaction released chlorine gas in the building, according to university spokeswoman Margaret Nagle. Four people were sent to Cutler Health Center on campus for observation, but none showed any obvious signs of injury or ill effects from the gas, Nagle said. A lab manager on the third floor of Hitchner Hall was neutralizing chlorine tablets in a five-gallon bucket in preparation for disposal shortly before noon on Friday. Chlorine tablets are used in laboratories as a disinfectant. The manager added sodium bisulfate and water to the mix, which “reacted and offed gas,” according to the spokeswoman. (read more at Bangor Daily News)